What's the rush; We can wait another 21 years!..

While the US, EU, France, Greece, and especially Israel are leaning heavily on Cyprus, Erdoğan went to the TRNC the other day to inaugurate the Presidential Complex. While they are arming the Greek Cypriot side and establishing military bases, we are building a "political base." As is well known, it is a matter of 'prestige'...

Erdoğan was in Italy before the TRNC. On his way back, while speaking about his weekend visit to the TRNC, he said, "We will continue to increase our efforts for the recognition of the TRNC... We believe that the Turkic world will also continue to stand by its brothers."

However, during the ceremonies in the TRNC, while he even touched upon the headscarf debates there, he did not mention the issue of recognition at all and settled for saying the following:

"As long as the unjust isolation to which the Turkish Cypriots are subjected does not end, and as long as a fair, permanent, sustainable solution that is in line with the realities of the Island is not reached, it is out of the question for us to engage with the Greek Cypriot administration, trade with them, or allow them to use our ports... The Turkish Cypriot people, who are an inseparable part of the Turkic world, will hopefully reach the position they deserve with the support of our country, sooner or later."

Fortunately, Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş stated that "after wasting many years at negotiation tables, the time has come to fight diligently to ensure the acceptance of the existence of two equal, sovereign communities and to ensure the international recognition of the TRNC at the point reached today."

They Kept Their Tongues Tied for 20 Days

On April 9, Erdoğan explained that Turkey, "during the AK Party governments, has become a country that does not seek permission but whose permission is sought," and again that "Turkey is not a walk-on actor granted a role in the games of great powers, but an actor that implements the plays for which it writes its own script," and that it is a "reputable, successful, and capable country." Yet, just 5 days earlier, on April 4, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, observer member Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan—all members of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS)—had opened embassies in the Greek Cypriot side of Cyprus and had also signed decisions arguing that Turkey is an "occupier" in Cyprus.

Was it a surprise? No, it came loud and clear. For example, when the TRNC was accepted as an "observer member" to the OTS in 2022, while the government and its media presented this as a "victory" and an "important step towards recognition," the EU, which reacted to the decision, labeled the TRNC as "separatist" and declared that it viewed the Greek administration as the sole state on the Island.

Ankara, as always, "completely rejected" the EU's statement and deemed it "null and void," while Erdoğan stated that they were not interested in what the EU said and again pointed to the TRNC Presidential Complex.

What did the Greek-Greek Cypriot lobby, which has the full support of the EU and the US, do? It prevented the TRNC from attending the OTS Summit held in Kazakhstan in November 2023.

That is how we arrived at April 4.

After this development, our media wrote and drew that the Turkic republics sold out the TRNC for 12 billion Euros. Thank God, they didn't come out and say, "You turned your country into a warehouse for migrants for 3 billion Euros."

What did our administrators do? Erdoğan and his team talked about everything from birth to the protection of our family institution, from the İmamoğlu operation to the headscarf and tape issues in the TRNC, but they did not open their mouths on this subject for exactly 20 days.

We learned the reason 20 days later from Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan; apparently, "as a matter of principle, they prefer not to discuss family matters in public"!..

Fidan also added:

"The Turkic world will continue to stand by the Turkish Cypriots as a whole. We will continue our policies on this matter with patience."

Since when did our national cause of Cyprus become a "family matter"!?.. We gave up on them opening embassies in the Greek side; the brothers have said "Turkey is an occupier in Cyprus," what kind of patient policy is this?!

It seems a signal was awaited from Fidan, and it followed. Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş stated that "what happened has happened, it is in the past," and announced that they felt "great disappointment" regarding the opening of embassies by some members of the OTS, and that they "told them that necessary steps must be taken to compensate for this."

The Elder Binali Yıldırım, on the other hand, stated that the opposition should refrain from comments that would upset the TRNC public and the Turkic states.

Two important actors of the Cyprus cause; the Ministry of National Defense and the leader of the MHP, the partner of the People's Alliance who makes statements on every subject from his sickbed, maintained their silence. Only in an editorial of the MHP's publication, Türkgün Newspaper, was the warning issued: "This step has brought various question marks with it. It has now become essential for the Organization of Turkic States to make an informative statement to the public on this matter."

Mistakes Made in the Buildup in 2004

Ankara is still making promises regarding the TRNC, but let us also recall what they said 21 years ago.

While supporting the Annan Plan, which would have ensured the realization of Enosis in Cyprus within 15 years, the then-Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül announced that if the Greek Cypriots rejected it in the referendum to be held on April 24, he would "proudly tell the world to recognize the TRNC."

One week before the referendum, he said, "There is no such thing as immediate recognition tomorrow or the next day. But a new ground will be formed. For example, the embargoes will be lifted."

Meanwhile, he reacted to the late Rauf Denktaş, the then-President of the TRNC who opposed the sovereignty articles in the plan, with the words, "Which sovereignty are you talking about? You cannot export a crate of oranges, no one recognizes you. What kind of sovereignty is this?" Denktaş replied, "If we were not sovereign, why did Turkey send its ambassador? Why did it recognize us as a sovereign state for 20 years?"

Gül's idea was that the Greek Cypriots would vote "yes," and that "otherwise they would face great isolation and would not be able to risk it."

Gül is no longer on the stage, so let's look at the attitude of the then-Prime Minister Erdoğan.

While announcing before the referendum that they were "in full agreement with the General Staff and President Ahmet Necdet Sezer" regarding the Annan Plan, after the referendum, he made the statements, "In my opinion, Southern Cyprus has lost," and "I believe that from now on, the world will open its heart to the people of the TRNC, whom it has isolated for years."

When asked about whether the Turkic republics and Islamic countries would recognize the TRNC in the following process, he stated that it was "too early to talk about these" and noted the following:

"The recognition of the TRNC is at the discretion of those countries. In other words, there is no obstacle to those countries taking such a decision. Azerbaijan can take such a decision. This is the most natural authority and right of its parliament. When it takes such a decision, the TRNC will not say, 'Why are you taking such a decision?'"

What isolation, what loss; one week after the Greek side said "no," it became a member of the EU and vetoed the negotiations held with Turkey. The embargoes applied to the TRNC have continued since that day, despite the "yes" vote.

This is the point to which the AKP has brought our national cause of Cyprus in 21 years; but let's not lose heart, government supporters are making propaganda for a "caliphate" and even an "empire."

We are in no rush; we can wait another 21 years for the recognition of the TRNC;

Hopefully, the murder of Cemil Önal, the "black box" of Halil Falyalı, a key name in the illegal betting and money laundering traffic, after he became a whistleblower in the Netherlands and made allegations about tapes, will not lead to the US and EU knitting new troubles for us!..

Müyesser YILDIZ

May 5, 2025